The Leasowes

The Leasowes is a historic landscape, listed as Grade 1 on the English Heritage list of parks and Gardens of historic interest in England.

The site was designed by the poet William Shenstone between 1743 and 1763. As such it is one of the most important and influential landscapes of the 18th Century and is considered to be one of the first natural landscape gardens in England.

Today, the Leasowes is of major historic significance, ranking in importance with such landscapes as Blenheim and Stowe. It is the diverse landscape of wooded valleys, open grasslands, lakes and streams created by Shenstone that makes the site so important for wildlife. The site has been managed with nature in mind since the mid 18th Century and as such provides a wealth of different habitats for birds, mammals, invertebrates and locally uncommon plant species.

Wardens

The jobs undertaken by the wardens are many and varied. Probably the single most important job is talking to people and helping them get the most out of their visit. Other tasks include fencing, litter picking, tree work, hedge laying, tree planting, visitor management, path maintenance, wildlife surveys, habitat management, working with schools and recruiting volunteers.

Much of the work we do is seasonal; hay meadows are cut in the summer, woodland management and hedge restoration work is usually carried out during the winter months. Litter picking is unfortunately an all year round task.

As you can see wardens are highly skilled individuals who are practically minded and can turn their hands to most things.